Goode, Perriello debate

CHARLOTTESVILLE — A head-to-head meeting of Rep. Virgil Goode and Democrat Tom Perriello was intended to be a forum, but it became a debate Wednesday as the challenger criticized Goode’s 12-year record in Congress and the 5th District Republican defended it without apology.

Clear differences were aired in front of about 400 people as the candidates described competing plans concerning energy, health insurance and tax breaks.

Jobs in Southside Virginia and foreign policy toward Iraq, Iran, Russia and the republic of Georgia were on the table as well. So were questions from the audience about immigration, abortion and gun control.

When audience members asked about term limits and budget earmarks, the candidates’ positions were similar.

Neither candidate committed an obvious stumble. Perriello focused on new policy ideas, while Goode used 35 years of state and federal legislative experience to his advantage.

Perriello accused Goode of voting consistently for legislation that increased the profits of oil companies, and said Goode had $200,000 of investments in energy stocks.

Perriello said energy is America’s “number one national security threat, number one environmental threat, and number one economic opportunity” because entrepreneurs will be seeking capital for energy companies for the next 20 years.

Goode replied that his energy policy is “pro-drill, pro-conservative and pro-alternative energy.” Goode said he has voted for solar-energy bills, wind-energy bills and biofuels.

Boos erupted, apparently from Perriello supporters, when Goode said he favored drilling for oil in ANWR, the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

That disruption was halted by an admonishment from Bob McAdams, moderator of the event and a member of its sponsoring group, the Senior Statesmen of Charlottesville.

Undaunted, Goode said at least three more times that he favored a pro-drill policy of searching for oil in the United States and offshore.

After the event here, a poll was released Wednesday by SurveyUSA, one of about three dozen national polling groups, that said 64 percent of 5th District voters supported Goode. Only 30 percent supported Perriello, according to the poll of 615 likely voters.

The standing-room-only crowd in the Charlottesville Senior Center, however, appeared evenly split between Goode and Perriello.

Health insurance came up in response to an audience question, with Goode saying he voted against legislation that would have increased government support of health care by $45 billion.

“I don’t agree that the United States has a bad health care system,” Goode said, contending that Canadians and people from Mexico who come here for medical care show the U.S. system is better than most.

Perriello jumped on the comment. “Is that the standard we get — not the best, but better than most?”

Perriello, whose father has been a pediatrician in Albemarle County, said Goode voted against a bill that would have provided health care for 30,000 children in Virginia.

On tax breaks, Perriello said he would favor breaks that help the middle class, and the only real middle-class help from President Bush’s policies was this year’s stimulus refund of about $600 per taxpayer.

Goode replied that he voted against the stimulus because it was financed with $135 billion borrowed from China.

Goode said he supported Bush tax cuts that aimed to end the “marriage penalty.” Goode also said he supported a lower capital gains tax on investments because “that’s good for the overall economy.”

Perriello, who has worked in Africa on projects that he says helped resolve conflicts such as the Liberian rebellion led by Charles Taylor, said both Republicans and Democrats have dropped the ball there and throughout the East.

Russia’s invasion of the republic of Georgia occurred because “for seven years we have taken our eye off Russia,” Perriello said.

The Bush administration, Perriello said, “talks tough but negotiates weak.”

Goode said Russia was able to make its move because it made itself energy-independent. For the U.S. to be equally strong, it needs to function with its own energy resources as well, Goode said.

“That’s why I’m pro-drill,” he said.

In closing remarks, Perriello said Goode was out of step with his party because he backed the early presidential campaigns of Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. Tancredo and Hunter received less than 1 percent of Republican primary votes, Perriello said, showing that Goode can’t reach across the aisle to build a consensus on issues.

Perriello said he would be more effective in Congress than Goode because he would be in the majority Democratic Party.

Goode’s closing speech was direct.

“I make no apology for making personal campaign contributions to Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter,” Goode said. “If you want the illegal immigrant problem solved, any of those three would do the job.”

With his voice rising for the only time during the event, Goode said, “They want me out.

“The liberal Democrats want me out. They want me out because I’m a conservative voice.

“What they want is an Obama majority in this country. Tom is on the Obama majority list,” Goode said, in an apparent reference to the national Democratic Party’s announcement last week that it regards the 5th District race as one of the nation’s most competitive.